Whether fatigue is chosen as the sole culprit, as with the towboat John 3:16, or as an accomplice of possibly unmeasurable complicity, it almost always plays at least some role in maritime accidents. That is the very nature of 24/7/365 shift work with limited personnel and often the added negative effects of travel to, from or between vessels. Throw in some time zone changes and you really have a recipe for both physical and cognitive decline.
(The towboat John 3:16 allided with an industrial pier on the Lower Mississippi River in 2023. The pilot was suffering from acute fatigue partially brought on by significant personal problems.)
There is a widespread acceptance of this state of affairs and there seems to be very little interest in deviating from longstanding industry practices, despite the harm they do to health generally, and how they degrade job performance specifically. Some significant improvements are within easy reach and only require making relatively small changes in behavior.
Tugs traditionally have run 6 on/6 off watches scheduled to change at 0600, 1200, 1800 and 2400, which is a completely unnatural schedule known to cause fatigue no matter what. There are alternatives such as 7 on/5 off/5 on/7 off, or 8 on/4 off/4 on/8 off. Some even do 12 on/12 off, which is brutal if the boat is running all or most of the time. And there are lunatics who do “rolling 8s” which is 8 on/8 off indefinitely, meaning that every day the schedule flips to the opposite of the day before and destroys any possibility of establishing a workable rhythm. It is a guaranteed fatigue inducer, as well as a health wrecker, of the highest order and should be avoided.
I’ve experimented with it all and ultimately settled on 7/5/5/7 as the least bad option in most cases. Anything longer makes for a really long navigation watch and is simply asking too much of tired bodies and minds in such a safety intensive job.
But at least as important as the schedule, whatever it may be, is precisely when those watches start and finish.
